1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a computerized service system in a communication network and more particularly to a response control system for responding to various service requests.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, transfer (communication) of information is possible only between the same kind of transmitting media. However, with the recent development of network technology, a communication (multi-media communication) between different media has become possible. This multi-media communication should be performed with a simple structure, allowing simple, highly efficient operation.
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a structure of a conventional multi-media communication system. Different media such as terminals 1A and 1B, telephones 2A and 2B and facsimiles (FAX) 3A and 3B are connected through public circuit networks 4A and 4B. Center 5 for performing a control of a communication between both media is provided between public circuit networks 4A and 4B. Terminals 1A and 1B comprise a personal computer and modems (MDM) 6A and 6B are connected between terminals 1A and 1B and public circuit networks 4A and 4B. Center 5 functions as a modem.
In this system, a communication between the same kinds of media, such as between terminals 1A and 1B or between telephones 2A and 2B, can be performed, and a communication between different media, such as between terminal 1A and fax 3B, can also be performed.
FIG. 2 shows a sequence of a conventional multi-media communication which is performed by the above communication system.
FIG. 2 shows the case where information is transferred from transmitting-side medium 7A to receiving-side medium 7B through center 5. When a call-out is produced from transmitting side medium 7A to center 5 (A), center 5 receives this call-out and requests a transmitting side medium for an input of a transmitter ID (recognition number) (B). Transmitter ID indicates the owner of the medium. A single transmitter can have a plurality of media and they may be of different kinds.
When the transmitter ID is sequentially inputted from transmitting side media 7A (C), the ID file stored in center 5 is searched. When the transmitter ID is found in the ID file, center 5 requests an ID input of receiving media (D) from transmitting side medium 7A. Transmitting side medium 7A then inputs the ID of the receiving side medium to center 5 (E). Center 5 checks whether a receiving side medium ID exists by searching the ID file in center 5. If it does, the transmission side medium is requested to input the transfer file (F). Transmitting side medium 7A then inputs a transfer file (a set of data to be transmitted) to the center (6).
Center 5 produces a call-out to the corresponding receiving side medium 7B, based on the ID obtained from the ID input of the receiving side medium (H). Receiving side medium 7B then returns a response to the call-out to center 5 (I). When center 5 receives this response, the file transmitted from transmitting side medium 7A is transmitted to receiving side medium 7B (J).
In the conventional multi-media communication system, a conversion from text to image, for example, a communication from a personal computer to a FAX, can be conducted through a network service. A conversion from text to voice can also be conducted, thereby transmitting input data from the personal computer in the form of a voice.
However, in the conventional system, the transmitter must designate the receiver's medium. Namely, when information is transferred from the transmitting side to the receiving side, the data format varies depending on the kind of receiving side medium. Thus, it is necessary to detect the receiving side medium and for the receiving side to have prior knowledge of what kind of medium the receiving side has, or by what kind of medium the receiver wishes to receive the information. It is also necessary for the transmitting side to know the ID of the receiving side medium and its identification number (such as telephone number or FAX number), thus requiring the operator to perform a troublesome operation. In the future, communication between further different media (such as text to voice conversion, FAX to text conversion or voice to text conversion) may become possible, thus further complicating the operation.
Service systems using a computer in the above recited multi-media communication system, such as tele-marketing, reference to the remainder of a deposit, security information service and electronic mail, are presented. In these systems, the response to a telephone request is made by voice. Therefore, the voice response means is provided on the computer side (service center). As the voice response control system used for the voice response means, a record editing system, an analyzing and synthesizing system, and a rule synthesizing system are known.
The record editing system records an analog voice signal or a voice signal subjected to a PCM coding. This signal is reproduced, outputted in a predetermined sequence and used as a time announcing service, for example, by a telephone. The analyzing and synthesizing system may be, for example, a PARCOR system, an LSP system, or a Formant system. A parameter for controlling a voice producing model, comprising excitation information and vocal track information, is stored as voice data and used to synthesize the voice. It is thus advantageous in that the amount of stored information may be small. The rule synthesizing system synthesizes a voice based on spectrum data of every phoneme and concatenating rule for connecting those spectrum data as voice data, and can thus form a discretionary response sentence.
The record editing system in the above recited prior art forms a response sentence by combining previously recorded short sentences and can obtain a response sentence in accordance with the way they are combined. However, the record editing system has to store many short sentences and thus requires a larger memory capacity than other systems. This makes it difficult to increase the number of response sentences when required. The analyzing and synthesizing system is advantageous in that the amount of memory information may be smaller than where the voice signal is stored through a PCM coding or through an ADPCM coding, but requires a large scale computer for performing a voice analysis. It is therefore disadvantageous in that the cost of the analyzing and synthesizing system is high and cannot correspond immediately to changes in tone color. Further, it also has the defect that the synthesized voice cannot be made to resemble a natural voice. The rule synthesizing system cannot easily produce a concatenating rule for making the voice resemble a natural voice and at present its sound quality is poorer than that of the synthesized voice according to the above analyzing and synthesizing system.
As described, the above recording and editing system, analyzing and synthesizing system and rule synthesizing system have advantages and disadvangates.
In the service system utilizing a computer, the recording and editing system for providing better sound quality than other systems is frequently used. For example, short sentences as voice responses to various service requests are pre-recorded and edited for respective requests and the voice data of these short sentences are selected as responses when respective service requests occur. However, the responses are performed in accordance with predetermined sentences. Thus, the voice service, including the name of the requester and the name of the opposite receiver, cannot be performed. This is because all the combinations of transmitter and receiver names and fixed messages should be stored as short sentences and this is impossible from the view point of memory capacity.
For example, if the facsimile machine of the opposite party is in a faulty condition or is busy, the data transmitted is temporarily stored in the computer system. The computer system then transmits a voice message to the telephone of the opposite party. However, the message service transmitted to the receiver is a fixed message such as "facsimile has been received". Therefore, there is a problem that the transmitter and the receiver of the facsimile cannot be identified.